Improvement in leather-splitting machines



UNITED f STATES PATENT 01emen oALnB S. srnAnNs, on MAnnBonoUeH,MASSACHUSETTS, Assrenon on ONE-HALF Hrs nreHr ro SAML. F. nnArnn, orSAME PLAGE.-

lMPROVEMENT IN LEATHkER-'SPLJITTING MACHINES.

Spcification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,541.2, dated April7, 1814; application fnea August 4, 1873.

To all whom t may concern: Y

4Be it known that I, GALEB S. STEARNS, of Marlborough, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Leather-SplittingMachine, of which the following is a specification:

This machine consists essentially of three or more rollers, arranged sothat a convex surface is presented by one of them to thesplitting-knife, and so that the others afford a means of tightening ametallic endless apron extending around the series of rollers, so that afirm surface will be aiforded, to the end that the leather to be splitwill be evenly sustained throughout its extent, and will be uniformlyfed. The` roller that presents a convex surface to the knives has anela-Stic periphery, and it is made yielding in its bearings, whereby auniform pressure is maintained on the leather while being fed to theknife. The apron is composed of cha-ins or bands roughened on theexterior, in order that they may bite on the stock so as to carry italong. The stock is held down on the apron by a rising and fallingbrake-bar, which may be operated by cams or a treadle. It is made smoothon its under side, so that it shall not interfere with the feed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a top view or plan of myimproved machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, and Fig. 3is a side view of several links of 011e of the chains making up theendless apron.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severaliigures.

The frame of the machine consists of twostandards, A A, united bystretchers B B. The rollers before mentioned are lettered C Of, and arefour in number. They are supported in the standards A in Such positionsthat alternate rollers are opposite one another, two,

C C', in a vertical line, and the other two, C C, in a horizontal line.The two rollers C C have their journals supported in the same blocks DD, and these are arranged in housings provided in the standards A A.Springs S S are iitted under the blocks, and thus afford a yieldingaction to theupper roller, which is the one that presents the endlessfeed-apron G, and the stock upon it, in convex f rm to the knife K, thateffects the splittin g.

As itsfellow-rollerC has its bearings in the Vapron downward fromthe-rollers G C. The

upper roller C has an elastic surface, which also' affords a yieldingaction to the apron. The two rollers C C are supported in separatebearings, which will in practice be made so that the. rollers can beadjusted toward or from each other, to slacken or tighten the endlessapron G. llhis apron, as represented in the drawing, consists of anumber of chains, having flat plate links riveted together. These chainsare arranged side by Side around a leather band, I, Vwhich is stretchedround the rollers C C', and motion is imparted to them by the rotationof the rollers, one of which constitutes the driving-roller, and isgeared with the others outside the frame ofthe machine. Strips ofleather a c, secured to thc edges of the leather band j ust mentioned,constitute flanges,

and prevent the chains from slipping off laterally. The links of thechains are roughened or serrated on the outer side, as shown in Fig. 3,to bite or clutch the stock, in order that they may carry it along tothe splitting-knife K. Instead ofbeingthus made up of chains, the apronmay be composed of bands of pliable metal, roughened somewh at after themanner of a grater. The knife, Kis arranged horizontally on a beam orblock,situate between the standards, and is beveled on the upper side,

as represented in Fig. 2. Its cutting-edge is over the axis of the upperroller C', just where the Stock is presented in convex form. As beforestated, the stock is held down on the apron by a brake-bar. It consistsof a bar, J, hung above the upper roller C by two rods, b I). 1t iscurved on the under side to conform to the convex portion .of the apronunderit, and is furnished ,on the under side with slotted rods c c.Levers L, pivoted to the standards A A, are connected with these rods,and, by pushing them in one direction or the other, raise or lower thebar to which they are attached. The two levers are actuated by cams N Non a shaft, O, which is driven by a belt from the driving-roller G, torotate at a 'much lower speed. The rods b b, which suspend the bar, arepivoted to blocks P P, which are fitted in housings in the upper part ofthe standards, so that they may be raised or lowered at will to adju stthe bar to different thicknesses of stock. The `levers L, by which thebar is operated, have hook-like ends, and the cams against which theywork are circular, with single notches in their peripheries. Springs g ghold the levers aga'nst the cams. The brakebar, might, however, beoperated by a treadle instead of by cams, and this would be preferablewhenever the leather to be split is in short pieces.

The leather to be split is placed on the endl less apron, and thebrake-bar is then brought down on it. As this is made smooth on itsunder side, it does not interfere with the feeding of the leatherforward to the knife, but nevertheless holds it down the while. Theleather passing forward meets the knife by its continued motion, issplit in two pieces, one piece passing over the knife, and the other below it over the apron. By the time the cutting is finished the notchesin the cams have come opposite the ends of the levers L L, and thelatter, by the springs g g, are pulled into them, and the brake-bar israised. Another piece of leather is then placed on the apron, and theoperation is repeated.

That I claim as my invention is 1. The endless metallic apron, composedof chains or metallic bands, roughened on the exterior, substantially asand for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The arrangement of three or more rollers for supporting the chains,substantially as described, whereby a convex surface is presented to theaction of the knife, and so that the apron may be tightened whenevernecessary, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the elastic surface or yielding roller C', ofthe metallic apron Gr, essentially as and for the purpose herein defscribed.

4. The rising and falling brake-bar J, for holding down the goods,operated by cams or a treadle, essentially as and for the purpose setforth.

lCALEB S. STEARNS.

Witnesses NATHUM WITHERBEE, JEROME B. GARDNER.

